Pakistan's president refuses to sign new national security laws

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi speaks with Reuters in an interview after Pakistan's presidency was recognized as the world's first presidential secretariat running on clean energy, in Islamabad, Pakistan October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir/File photo

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -Pakistan's President Arif Alvi said on Sunday he had refused to sign into law two bills that would give authorities more power to prosecute people for acts against the state and military, a move the law ministry said was unconstitutional.

The bills have already been passed by both houses of Pakistan's parliament but Alvi is a member of former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which opposes the coalition government that passed the two bills.